HARRISBURG, PA — A federal district court has issued a temporary restraining order preventing the closure of the Pyrex glass manufacturing plant located in Washington County. This decision, championed by Attorney General Michelle Henry, temporarily halts the plans of Anchor Hocking Holdings, along with its private equity partner Centre Lane Partners, to dismantle and relocate equipment crucial to the plant’s operations.
The court’s ruling underscores the potential “immediate and irreparable injury” that could result from the plant’s closure, as stated in the issued order. This legal intervention highlights the plant’s critical role in the local economy, which provides employment to approximately 300 individuals. The decision to pause the plant’s shutdown is seen as a pivotal step in safeguarding the economic stability and prosperity of families within Charleroi and its neighboring areas.
Attorney General Henry, in her advocacy for the community, emphasized the profound impact the plant’s shutdown would have had. “The closure of this longtime manufacturing hub will have permanent impact on the Charleroi community and surrounding neighborhoods,” she asserted, highlighting the necessity of maintaining such a vital source of employment. The Attorney General’s Office, through its Antitrust Section, is actively litigating to prevent the plant’s closure.
The plant, owned by Anchor Hocking, had announced plans to relocate its equipment to another facility in Lancaster, Ohio, a move that triggered significant concern among the local workforce and community leaders. The restraining order serves as a temporary reprieve, allowing further examination of the case’s merits ahead of a scheduled hearing for a preliminary injunction on November 12.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the Charleroi community remains hopeful that a more permanent solution can be reached to secure the plant’s future. This case serves as a critical example of the intersection between corporate decisions and community welfare, with the outcome likely to influence similar situations across the region. The upcoming hearing will be pivotal in determining the long-term fate of the Pyrex plant and its employees.
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